


A Boy and His Starveling Cats

by silurica



Series: Look to Love, Always [15]
Category: Fallen London | Echo Bazaar
Genre: Gen, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28260801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silurica/pseuds/silurica
Summary: The Starveling Cats! The Starveling Cats! Exclusive interview with a notable Londoner! They give the beasts lots of pats!
Series: Look to Love, Always [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2068755
Kudos: 1





	A Boy and His Starveling Cats

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as an entry for [Memories of Fallen London Competition](http://www.failbettergames.com/fallen-london-is-10/), Most Characterful Affectation category.

Leonard West may have given up on the Name, but there is one thing he has yet to give up: Starveling Cats. Stinky, grouchy Starveling Cats. Now, it isn’t unusual for cats to gather around his Elderwick townhouse, attracted by the promise of meat and secrets, but those Starveling Cats – horrible, terrible, the worst of cats – are welcomed too with offerings of souls in rotten milk.

His home is a shelter, he claimed, these cats are rejected by Londoners and they deserve love too. (A Starveling Cat hissed at the sentiment.) Sure, they cover his house in shed fur and worse, but that is what he hired a maid for. Don’t the Starveling Cats bite and claw at you, Mr West? Oh, they do. How come then your skin is still fair and smooth as wax? That is a trade secret, my dear.

In addition to providing food and shelter for the foul felines, he also advocates for their rights in Society and Bohemian salons – something you can get away with when you are a certified Crooked-Cross, apparently. Are people charmed by the idea of respecting the vile cats now? No, but this won’t stop him.

Speaking of Mr West’s affiliation with the Brass Embassy, it is no secret that he is also the owner of a certain fork. What is less known is what he does with the souls he has collected. The most logical conclusion, if this was any other opportunist, would be selling the souls to Hell. However, being the Starveling advocate he is, rumours have spread that he feeds his Starveling Cats the souls that he collected with his own fork.

Perhaps his Starveling Cats won’t love him, but he expressed hope that they will loathe him less. All shall be well.


End file.
